Purple Hearts

“Tre, why don’t you try and get some sleep too?” said Billie. Billie was sprawled in an armchair looking across at his friend. Asleep and laying down next to Tre was Julia.

“I can’t,” said Tre then glanced over at Julia spoke, “I think I’ll go and get a blanket for Julia.”

Billie watched Tre get up and then return with a huge blanket that he tucked around Julia. He watched the tender gesture and felt gut wrenchingly devastated for his friend and all that he’d gone through in the past. You never know, may be out of all this, something could happen between Tre and Julia.

“She’s a lovely lady,” said Billie as Tre sat down.

“Yeah, good company,” said Tre.

“You know, I don’t get it,” said Billie sitting forward.

“Get what?” said Tre.

Billie sat forward and tried to explain what he meant.

“If she’d been kidnapped, how the hell did the guy get in here? There doesn’t appear to be any signs of a break in so does that mean she knows the guy?” Said Billie.

”You’re right,” said Tre. “But she was asleep in her room, something must have woken her up but what? It’s been difficult enough getting her up in the morning let alone for her to get up during the night. If someone knocked at the door or rang the bell I really don’t think she’d get up even if she heard it. I think she’d have left it to someone else, she’s been that tired lately.”

“But something must have go her up and out of her bed. What would she get up for?” said Billie.

“I can only think of Milton,” said Tre. “Yeah, she’d get up for him, if he’d woken her to go for a piss then she’d have got up and gone to sort him out.”

“So that means the fucker got her from your garden. But how would he know that she was out there unless he was in the garden himself?” Billie asked, trying to work out what the fuck had happened, it had been going round and round his head since he’d found out she’d disappeared.

“May be he’s been in the garden sitting out there night after night waiting for the ideal opportunity to nab her,” said Tre feeling sick at his own suggestion.

“Which means he’s probably been loitering around here for days,” said Billie, he too feeling sick at the thought of someone stalking and watching Franky. “I need to get some air,” said Billie and he went off out into the garden.

Milton was out there sitting by the gate to next-door looking all sad-eyed.

“Hey boy, its OK,” said Billie bending down to Milton and ruffling his ears, “she’ll be back with us soon.”

But Milton just trotted off next door, Billie watching him, but Billie noticed that Milton was picking something up from the middle of the overgrown grass, it was long, like a belt. He picked it up in his mouth and brought it over to Billie. It looked like a towelling belt that belonged to a bathrobe or something. Milton trotted off again to next door, stopped and turned and looked at Billie.

He picked up the towelling belt and put it to his nose. It was Frankys, he just knew it. So what did this mean? That he had been right earlier, that she was nabbed here in the garden while everyone slept? Poor Franky.

Billie looked over at Milton, “come on boy, lets go and show this to Tre,” he said but Milton wouldn’t have any of it, he just started whining at Billie then ran off to the house next door.

Billie just shook his head at Milton then went back into the house to show Tre.

**

“So you found it here, in our garden?” said Tre.

“No, Milton had it, it was in next door’s garden,” said Billie. “He must have taken it there earlier,” he said.

“Or…its always been in there,” said Tre.

“You mean, he nabbed her from next doors garden while she was calling Milton back in.”

“Yeah, something like that,” said Tre.

“But, how can anyone get in here, I mean the security gates you’ve got fitted are excellent and the fences are so high Tre, I don’t think anyone could just sneak in without anyone else knowing, unless….”

“Unless what?” said Tre but he was beginning to understand what Billie meant.

“Unless, it was someone that was already here.” He said.

“Yeah. The guy next door.” Said Tre and that was it he was in next-door’s garden before Billie could say anything.

“Tre, get back here, please, if he sees you that will be it. He could harm Franky, that’s if its him, come back in, we’ll call up Mike to get back here and we’ll see what we can come up with.

“I think she’s in there Billie,” said Tre, “I’m gonna get that fucker for this.” He continued walking up to the house next door but Billie grabbed hold of the back of Tre’s T shirt and pulled him back and spoke into his ear.

“Tre, think about this. We have to do this properly, he could kill her Tre. Come back inside, its 3am for fuck sake, lets call up Mike in a couple of hours and get him over and we can all do something about this together.”

“You’re right but I’m now quite sure she’s in there, it fits Billie.”

“Yeah, it seems to,” said Billie who walked away but glanced back at the house next door wondering to himself if Franky was in there, if she was OK, whether or not she was scared. He’d held Tre back from doing something stupid but he himself had wanted to just run in there, beat the bastard to a pulp and get Franky back. Safe.

**

“Mike, you don’t have to stay here with me,” said Jen looking over at her husband lying next to her. They were both finding it difficult to sleep but Jen got the feeling that Mike wanted to be with his friends, especially when something like this was happening, she knew he wanted to be with them, all three of them together like they used to be.

“You can read me like a book,” said Mike glancing over at the woman he loved. He loved being with her and couldn’t wait until their baby was going to be born but he also missed the companionship of his three old buddies. He knew they were together now, Billie trying to help Tre along with this current situation and he wanted to be with them, he needed to be with them.

“You don’t mind?” he said leaning over and kissing her soft cheek.

“Of course not. You need to be with them, Tre needs you right now.” She said.

The phone rang and Mike leant over to answer it, Jen could hear him speak.

“Oh my god, it seems so obvious now. I’ll be right over and we can come up with something.” He said then put the phone back down on the bedside table.

“What’s happening?” said Jen sitting up.

“They think the guy next door has got her. Tre wanted to go in and take a look around but Billie thinks he’ll only make matters worse. They want me to go over and help them come up with something.”

”Oh Mike, please be careful. I really think Tre should get the police involved here.”

“No. No police, that’ll just make matters worse,” said Mike who was up now and getting dressed.

“Maybe, but just…please be careful, I love you and don’t want anything to happen to you, I don’t know what I’d do.” Said Jen.

“I’ll be careful. I love you too,” he said giving her a huge wink and then he was gone, her handsome bass player who would be lost if he didn’t have his buddies.

**

They’d talked for the rest of the night and they were going to do it at 9am. Mike was going to knock on the front door and Billie and Tre were going through the back to check out the place.

Mike was going to try and keep the guy talking while they looked around; they just hoped the guy fell for it.

Julia had woken while they spoke, joining in now and again, helping them with their plan and enjoying listening to them talk, bouncing ideas off of each other, their enthusiasm and closeness so obvious.

She’d been worried slightly about coming here to visit, about not knowing these mega famous rock stars and their families but they’d surprised her by being so open and down to earth and honest. They were a close-knit group, they hadn’t got many other friends outside of this little gang but surprisingly she felt part of it.

The Next Morning

Ramona and Emily hadn’t slept very well either, thoughts of wondering about what was happening with Franky going through their minds. They just lay there with the light on chatting a little then one of them would fall asleep but would wake up twenty minutes or so later, awful thoughts running through there mind.

“Has your Dad really got that much money he can just go and get it from the bank and hand it over?” said Emily.

“Yeah, I suppose,” said Ramona sitting up, her long hair everywhere. “Yeah. I think he’s rich but I don’t know anything different really. He’s not flash with his money though, he doesn’t just give me money because I say I like something and he doesn’t buy us much around the year other than birthday and Christmas but if I do some stuff around the house he gives me pocket money but that’s it. I think some people I know think I’ve got loads of money too but I haven’t I just have a small savings account with a little bit in.” She said heading off to the bathroom.

Emily was enjoying Ramona’s company but she was missing Franky. Franky was the reason they were here in California after all and she felt a little bit sorry for her Mum because she didn’t know anyone very well and they hadn’t even done any sightseeing yet but of course they couldn’t do anything until Franky was back. Emily just hoped that the guy who had Franky looked after her.

Ramona cried while she had a shower. She hadn’t been able to do it earlier because Emily was in the room and she didn’t want to embarrass her. Please come back soon Franky, I really do miss you thought Ramona. Please keep her safe whoever you are. When Dad gives that man the money I hope, really hope he just lets Franky go otherwise I don’t know what I’d do without her and thinking about Dad and how he would be she couldn’t bear thinking about.

“You OK?” said Emily watching Ramona as she came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her.

”Not really. I just…miss Franky.” She said.

“I know, I miss her too and I don’t really know her properly yet.”

“Lets just hope you get to know her real well, when she’s home and safe again,” said Ramona. “Listen, you get a shower, there’s something I want to show you.” Said Ramona.

Both girls were dressed but before they went downstairs to see everyone Ramona took Emily into Franky’s bedroom.

“I want to show you some of the fabulous clothes that Franky has got, she sometimes lets me borrow her tops. She’s thinner than me so I can’t wear her jeans but she’s got great make up too.” Said Ramona.

“I don’t feel comfortable being in here,” said Emily looking around Franky’s bedroom. Ramona was heading over to the wardrobe.

“This is my favourite,” said Ramona bringing out a black blouse with purple hearts on it, “it’s one of the ones that Adrienne made for the band. I tried it on the other day when Franky was out.”

Emily kept quiet, she didn’t feel as though she should be here, she wanted to go downstairs and find her mother.

Ramona tried putting the blouse back onto its hangar but it dropped down to the bottom of the wardrobe, Emily watched as her head disappeared into the wardrobe, trying to retrieve the black blouse.

“Oh my god,” said Ramona, her face appearing again. She’d gone pale but Emily could see why because she was holding a gun wrapped up in a beautiful scarf that Emily recognised from Franky’s photographs at the Grammys.

**

“Lets do it,” said Tre. “I can’t wait anymore, I’m going in, I’m going to get her, she’s got to be in there.”

“Yeah. We all know what to do?” said Billie.

”Yep. I’ve explained the layout of the house from when our old neighbours were living there and we were invited in loads of times.” Said Tre. “Can you remember where everything is?” he said turning to look at each of his friends.

”Yep, its all up here,” said Billie tapping at the side of his head.

“I know what to do,” said Mike.

Suddenly they heard a shout from upstairs, Ramona was calling out something.

”What is it sweetheart?” said Tre going to the bottom of the stairs, his friends appearing next to him.

“I…I think you should see this, I found it in Franky’s room.” Said Ramona appearing at the top of the stairs, Emily next to her, both girls white-faced.

**

“Got the gun?” said Billie looking at Tre.

”I have,” said Tre.

”Good,” said Mike.

“What the fuck is Franky doing with a gun in the bottom of her wardrobe?” said Tre.

”Fuck knows,” said Mike.

”Who cares at this moment,” said Billie. “We might need it where we’re going.” He said.

“Shall we go then?” said Mike.

“Yeah,” said Tre. “I’m ready.”

“Lets go get her then,” said Billie.